Divide And Conquer
by MarineroLelouch
Summary: With the death of the Late King Igneel and with the effects of the On-going war,The Kingdom Of Fiore is in the verge of a crisis. Two years after the death of the King,The Third Prince Gray received a letter. With his life at risk,he fled the country along with the Fourth Prince Natsu. Without realizing the contents of the letter has the potential to change everything.
1. Introduction

**Divide And Conquer,Part 1**

**Chapter 1-Introduction **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its character and content.**

* * *

In Earthland ,there is a kingdom. Known as Fiore.

Ruled by a monarch,Fiore was a great kingdom. It was suitable for crops and planting. The people prospered. With it's port cities to the west and it's thriving new capital in the east,Fiore was the heart of trading in the entire continent. Every kind of material was shipped out from Fiore's and the world's greatest port,Hargeon.

Fiore established a neutral alliance with Sin,Caelum,Enca and other great countries. Assuring peace and establishing trading rights.

All were going great for this prosperous kingdom until the worst possible thing one can imagine happened.

War.

About twenty years ago,the neighboring country,The Empire of Seven was going bankrupt. The Emperor had signed onto too much debt in the name of his country.

He was known for his interest in sculpture and art. He had ordered a 40-feet tall solid gold statue of himself. The cost of it was great. With that and other expenses that the royal treasury couldn't possibly pay,The Emperor asked for a loan.

At first,allies of Seven gave the Emperor the loan he requested. But the amount he received wasn't nearly enough to make his dream come true.

He wanted to become immortal in the eyes of his people. For him,the way to do that was through art. He summoned the great painters and artist's of his time from all over the country and even the continent. He ordered paintings,drawings and giant statues of himself and his wife.

But after two years of constructing,both the treasury and the loaned money dried up.

The Emperor went on a rage. He beheaded a senator on the spot in front of the council,because he suggested that they should cancel the art project. Fearing the safety for their own lives,the other senators and council members stayed silent and obeyed the Emperor.

After two years of despair and poverty in Seven,two men requested an audience with the Emperor.

They claimed they were from the new established banking clan which was located in one of the neutral islands to the north.

They brought along four large ships,filled with paper money. The two men said that The Emperor could broke these and use it as insurance and that the bank would pay it for them. They made him sign papers,which The Emperor chose to neglect and signed them almost immediately.

With the amount of money he brokered,The Emperor finally finished his art project. After a year of enjoying immortality,the bank requested the payment of the brokered money. Of course,The Emperor couldn't pay so he neglected the request.

A month later,the two bankers appeared again,along with an army of mercenaries behind them. They had an another audience with the Emperor.

They gave out an ultimatum. They requested an immediate reimbursement of the loan,along with an interest rate. If the Emperor were to decline,they would take the statues and the other artistic assets. The Emperor thought about beheading the bankers and ordering his army to kill the mercenaries. But he was stopped by his wife,who saw the outcome of the possible battle and decided it would be their loss. The Emperor requested another month to pay off the debt.

But the debt was too big and the Empire had nearly zero money. The Emperor finally went mad. And where madness thrives,bad things will follow.

He spent almost fifteen days locked in his chambers. He couldn't possibly find a way to escape from this crisis. But one afternoon his wife entered the chambers. They didn't came out for another day.

The Emperor gathered the Council the day after.

He declared that he had found a way to pay off their debt. After the senators asked what it was,he slowly walked to the balcony and showed the crowd of people gathered at the front gate.

He explained his intention to sell the poor and the weak to Bosco,to be slaves.

Slavery was forbidden in Seven,so the council rejected the idea immediately. He ordered the execution of the two senators who rejected the idea first,to set an example.

But one of the senators decided that he couldn't possibly live with this and at the risk of his own life,he made this situation known to the public.

Of course,the inevitable happened.

A civil war broke out in the middle of the country. The war spread like wildfire,causing destruction and slaughter as it spread.

After two years of fierce struggle,the people finally won against the Empire. They beheaded their Emperor after the day of victory and demanded the beheading of his wife and his son. But the wife had already left the night before. And the Captain of the Guards smuggled the infant boy from the country.

The people,led by aristocrats reformed the country again. This time as a kingdom. A man of humble birth was selected to be the King,along with a senate that would have the authority to judge him.

Believing the infant child to be sheltered by Fiore,the newly reformed Kingdom Of Seven demanded the boy's head. In which Fiore denied of sheltering him.

Knowing that The Late Emperor was friends with the King of Fiore Igneel,the new King feared a coup d'etat through the influence of the boy. He ordered the attack to a Fiore village,after being misinformed that the boy was hiding there. The King at the time,Igneel was outraged by this. So he declared open war with Seven.

The fighting lasted for ten years. Both countries were inflicted with so much damage and loss that both their economies went into recession.

After losing his younger brother in an ambush,Igneel finally realized the outcome of a pointless fight. He demanded an audience with the King Of Seven on a neutral island. They finally came to terms and declared the war over. But the economic loss was so great,that both sides transformed into paper money. Now being produced and used by most of the world.

Everything in Fiore started to go back to the way it was.

But the peaceful times ended quickly.

Two years ago,an embassy from the Pergrande Kingdom arrived to the capital,Crocus. They demanded an audience with the king. After their discussion,the king ordered a feast.

But the wine Igneel drank was poisoned. He collapsed and fell to the ground in front of his guests and his court. The King's youngest brother suspected that the ambassador's were the culprit. So he killed them on sight,with his own hands.

After that The Pergrande Kingdom declared war to Fiore and denied the accusations of poisoning the king.

The position of ruler went into the hands of Laxus,the king's eldest son. But believing him to be not experienced enough to lead in such a crisis,the council of senators demanded an emergency power to be held by The Late King's younger brother,Jiemma. Making him King Regent until the crisis was over.

He offered to make Laxus The King's Hand,The Prime Minister until the crisis was over.

But for the last three years the Prime Minister was his brother,the Second Prince Jellal. He was chosen to be The Hand by his father because of his intelligence and the ability to come on top in difficult situations.

Respecting his father's judgement and having faith in his younger brother,Laxus declined the offer. He instead chose to become the Commander of a Legion to experience war.

For the last two years,the battle has been going on. It didn't fade away,but only got bigger and more fierce. Another countries joined and it has turned into a multi-national all-out war between two different alliances.

And on a cold,rainy night in the capital of Fiore,our story begins.

* * *

**-The Royal Palace,Crocus-**

**"I have to run!"** The old man thought as he was hastily running away from his pursuers.

"You there! Stop!" One of the pursuers yelled,four more were running behind him.

The old man turned around in a corner.

But as he was turning,he caught a glimpse of his pursuers.

They were soldiers.

**"The army,huh?"** The old man thought in despair as he turned towards the stairs.

The castle was enormous,and these floors were empty during this time of night. So the old man knew if he was killed right now,it wouldn't even woke anybody up.

He ran as fast as he could. But he was too old for running. His legs were tired and he was limping,his back hurting in every step.

He reached the floor he intended to come to after being chased for three flights of stairs.

He turned and realized the long hall before him. He started running again,but the men soon caught up with him.

After running in the straight hall for a few seconds the old man felt a burning sensation on his back. He yelled but didn't stop.

The wound was deep,he could feel it. The arrow had hit the back of his lungs and the blood was spilling everywhere.

**"I don't have much time."** He realized. But the importance of what he was carrying was so great that it was keeping him alive.

He turned around in a corner and hid himself in a big shadow,right under the stairs to the upper floor.

He held his breath as the soldiers walk passed him.

He sighed. And slowly started to walk towards the Royal Family Chambers.

There were four doors. The chambers of the four princes.

The 3rd Prince Gray,The 4th Natsu,The Fifth Sting and The Sixth Rogue.

The place was heavily guarded but the old man knew a way to get pass them.

He rang the emergency bell after covering it with his hands,making it seem like another floor's bell. The guards walked away from the doors,the old man acted quickly. He knew they would realize it was a fake.

He opened the door of the 3rd Prince's chambers and walked in. He shut the door slowly.

He approached the bed where the prince was sleeping.

He slowly shook the prince awake.

"Huh? Who is it?" The Third Prince Gray yelled in surprise.

"Shhh. Please be quiet my Prince." The old man said.

"Huh? Yajima-san,is that you?" Gray asked in surprise.

He continued before Yajima could respond.

"What are you doing in my chambers in the middle of the night?" Gray asked again.

"I-I have come because I have nobody else I can trust." Yajima spoke silently before he coughed.

After lighting a candle,Gray realized the old man's shape.

"Yajima-san,what happened? Why are you covered in blood?"Gray asked,his voice filled with concern.

"Listen,Gray. I don't have much time." Yajima said,sadness in his voice.

Gray was shocked,he didn't respond.

"Listen to everything that I'm about to tell you. And listen carefully." Yajima said,his voice is getting shaky and weaker.

"You are in danger. You and your brothers!" Yajima said before he dropped to his knees in pain.

* * *

**A/N: Review and Favorite and Follow guys! The next chapter I will introduce the entire royal Family!**

**NEXT TIME ON DIVIDE&CONQUER,CHAPTER 2: The Escape**

_**SUPPORT MY OTHER FAIRY TAIL FANFIC: Sin And Sacrifice , Second Chances & Fairies Choice **_


	2. The Escape

**Divide And Conquer**

**Chapter 2-The Escape**

**A/N: For those who might be worried,Lucy and Erza are not a member of the royal family. But both will be key characters in the story. Laxus is the legitimate heir. But Jiemma is selected as King Regent until the war is over. Jellal is the Second Prince and the Prime Minister,commonly called The King's Hand. Natsu,Gray,Sting and Rogue are the other princes. The story will focus on Gray and Natsu for the first few chapters. READ&REVİEW!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its character and content.**

* * *

"You and your brothers!" Yajima said before he dropped to his knees in pain.

**"**What are you talking about? What danger?" Gray asked,fearing about the sanity of the old man.

"Listen." Yajima grunted and coughed blood.

"No,I'll listen to you later. We need to get you to a physician." Gray said and tried to persuade him.

But Yajima caught his wrist and stopped him.

"Listen,my prince. Your father,my friend. The King!" Yajima talked slowly,one word pause then another word.

"Was murdered!" Yajima said before he coughed up more blood.

"I know that you senile old geezer,I was there!" Gray yelled. He remembered that scene very well. How his father struggled. How he pulled the table's mantle and how he grabbed his own throat and tried to spit out and nothing came.

Natsu's yelling,Yukino's screams and Laxus's rage. He remembered everything perfectly clear.

"No! The ambassadors didn't poison him." Yajima replied. Much to Gray's shock.

"It was your uncle,Jiemma." Yajima spat the final part.

"The one who holds the position of King." Yajima said,weary but still angry.

"Nonsense!" Gray reacted.

"It's the truth. He had your father poisoned so he could become King." Yajima said.

"No,h-he was outraged. He killed the ambassadors himself, he-" Gray stopped for a moment.

"Yes,indeed. But not because he was upset,he killed them so they wouldn't get a chance to defend themselves." Yajima continued.

"No,there's just no way." Gray protested,but was starting to wonder.

"Think,boy. Who was the one who most profited from his death? What was the reason for this senseless war? Why would Pergrande,who came in to discuss a cultural festival poison the King?" Yajima asked.

"B-But he denied. At first when the council decided to give him emergency powers,he d-denied." Gray said.

"Oh,please. That was just a show. He had us all fooled." Yajima spat,before he coughed up more blood.

Gray was absolutely shocked. He didn't respond to that last remark.

"The most of the council were actually working for him. I-" Yajima stopped himself,more information had would put him at a bigger risk.

Gray started to question what he knew.

"But why?" Gray asked. Yajima looked confused.

"Why would he kill his own brother for a temporary position as King Regent?" Gray asked.

"Temporary? For now." Yajima said.

"What are you implying?" Gray asked.

"I-I,ahhhh!" Yajima fell to the ground.

"Yajima-san!" Gray crouched and picked up the old man from the ground.

Upon pulling up the old man,Gray felt something wet and sticky at his right hand and something hard,lodged in the old man's back.

"An arrow? Who did this?" Gray asked before reaching the end of the arrow and readied himself to pull.

The old man stopped him.

"That will only increase the bleeding." Yajima explained.

"Fine,but let's take you to a physician." Gray replied."

"No. No physician in the world can save me now." Yajima said.

"Why?" Gray asked,the old man was acting weird.

"I have overheard one of their conversations. So I started to became suspicious of the King Regent. I have uncovered some information,from one of the council men. But he was actually working for Jiemma. So the Regent sent men after me. I managed to sneak in here,but it won't take long for them to find me." Yajima was fading.

"If what you say is true,then he will pay." Gray was getting angry.

"No child,you shouldn't get involved in this." Yajima slowly said.

**"Then why did you come to me?"** Gray thought.

Yajima took Gray's hand and squeezed it as hard as he could.

"But there is something I would like to ask from you. If I had any other choice,I wouldn't have come to you. If only Jellal or Laxus were here... I have loved and cared for you boys since the day you were born. You,Natsu,Sting,Rogue... I have dedicated my entire life to serve your family but in the end somebody from your family is the one who's sending me on death's way." Yajima explained.

With no bitterness and resentment in his voice only memories.

"Of course,you have been a friend and a mentor as long as I can remember. What is it that you would have me do?" Gray asked. He felt a tear roll from his eyes.

He reached and pulled out a letter from his pocket.

Half of the letter was covered in blood.

"What is this?" Gray asked.

"This letter has all the information I gathered about Jiemma and the ones working for him." Yajima explained.

Gray tried to open the seal but Yajima stopped him.

"NO! Don't read it. At least not until you bring it to him." Yajima coughed,his entire mouth was covered in blood.

"Bring it? To who?" Gray asked,he was dying to know.

"To Mabou. To-to your e-eldest u-uncle,Makarov." Yajima explained.

"Makarov? That crazy monk?" Gray asked.

"Y-yes,to him. But speak of this to n-no o-one." Yajima explained.

"A-and if you risk the t-threat of capture,burn the letter immediately. But most importantly do not read the letter until you get to Mabou,no matter what!" Yajima finished.

A sudden and constant knocking on the door was heard before Gray could react.

"Someone's here." Yajima spoke silently. He slowly dragged himself to a corner,not being visible from the door.

"A-answer it." Yajima said.

The door was still knocking when Gray reached the door.

"What!" Gray yelled as he opened the door.

"My prince,I'm terribly sorry to disturb you. But have you seen the council elder Yajima?" The guard asked. There were four more behind him.

**"They're really after him." **Gray thought.

"Huh? No. W-what happened?" Gray tried to sound sleepy.

"He has attempted to assassinate the King earlier tonight. He is being wanted for the highest treason and any who co-operate with him or even shelter him will be dealt in the same manner as him." The guard explained.

"Yajima-san? Why would he do that?" Gray tried to sound surprised.

"I was told he was still bitter after his excellency made him retire from the position of King's adviser." The guard explained.

"I haven't seen him,no. But I'll make sure to report if I see him." Gray said before he tried to shut the door.

"Sir,If you mind we would like to search the room?" The guard said after stopping the door from closing with his feet.

"Now your place,soldier. You would question my words?" Gray put on the spoiled prince act.

"N-No,sir. It's just that the culprit might be hiding here." The guard said after panicking.

"You think that if somebody were to break into my chambers,I wouldn't notice? Are you calling me an idiot?" Gray asked,pretending to look outraged.

"N-No sir,I would never d-dream of it. You have a good night,we'll patrol the other floors." The guard said and turned around. He and the others left the floor.

Gray closed the door. He walked back to the corner where Yajima was hiding.

"Yajima-san,they're gone. It's safe now." Gray said.

But no reply came from the shadow Yajima was hiding.

"Y-yajima-san?" Gray slowly walked towards the corner and hold the shadows shoulder.

It was cold,It was like Gray was touching marble.

"Y-Yajima-san..." Gray slowly whispered as a tear rolled out from his eyes.

He was dead.

Gray stood there in silence for a while. He then decided what to do.

**"His last request to me... I will fulfill it. I will deliver the letter to my uncle." **Gray decided and carried the body towards the other end of the room.

**"But what should I do with the body? If his body is found in my chambers after I leave,that bastard of an uncle could make it seem like I was his accomplice and that I tried to assassinate him too. So the only other choice is..."**Gray thought of his choices and the only other choice left for him seemed like a terrible thing to do.

**"This isn't what he deserved. Doing it is... But I have no choice. And it's probably what he would've wanted me to do."** Gray desperately decided. He carried the body to the other end of his room and lifted his body.

He carried him from his shoulders before they reached the window.

Then Gray did the unimaginable thing and threw the old man's cold,bleeding body out the window. It fell for a while and then a silent thud was heard.

Gray moaned in pain and leaned on a wall. He was upset but he knew this was not the time for mourning.

He changed his clothes and washed his face and took a short bath and thought of his options.

He exited the bathroom. And sat on his bed.

**"I can either act like nothing happened and then say "I'm going on a hunting trip." and then take the letter to Makarov. But what about the others? Yajima said that all my brothers were in danger. What if when I leave,that bastard tries to do something? Laxus went to Bosco to draw off Pergrande's Legions. And Jellal is at the Alliance Summit,which is halfway across the continent." **Gray thought.

So no,Gray had no way of contacting them without being noticed. So his only other choice... He would flee the city tonight. And gave the letter to Makarov. But disappearing without a sound,in the night of the supposed assassination...

This would have a negative effect on him,making him suspicious. But that way,only he would be called a traitor and his brothers and sisters would be safe. But traveling through so much road on his own,it seemed like a gamble. On a normal situation,Gray would claim that he doesn't need anyone's help but this mission to deliver the letter was too important that he didn't have time to think about his ego.

Then Gray thought of an idea.

**"Hey,If I'm gonna be called a traitor from now on... Why not let that bastard join me?"** Gray decided and he opened his window. He stepped up to see the whole capital before him as he was hanging onto the edge. He slowly started to crawl on the stone marble on the outskirt of his window.

"Don't look down... Don't look down... Don't look down." Gray muttered but his feet slipped and he almost fell down.

"Damn! I'm looking down!" Gray yelled before he pulled himself up.

After a while of crawling,he reached the destination he had in mind. He opened the window of a chamber and stepped in.

He approached the person sleeping on the bed.

He shook him awake.

The pink haired boy tried to yell but Gray silenced him by putting his hand on his mouth.

"Shhh! Be quiet." Gray warned him.

"What's wrong you bastard? It's the middle of the night!" Natsu said. Gray opened Natsu's wardrobe.

"Pack some clothes. We're getting out of here." Gray said before he found an old,dirty bag and tossed it over to Natsu.

"And try to pick something a little ordinary,you know not so flashy." Gray said.

"Is this a joke?" Natsu asked before falling back to his bed,burying his head in the pillow.

"Natsu,this is serious. We're escaping the castle,tonight. I'll explain everything on the way." Gray spoke serious,the last time he was this serious was after his father's death.

"F-Fine." Natsu finally agreed.

* * *

**A/N: Favorite and Review guys! I need at least a few of those before I publish the next chapter. Lucy is about to appear,and after that Erza :D**

******NEXT TIME ON DIVIDE&CONQUER,CHAPTER 3: Out In The Wilderness**

******__****SUPPORT MY OTHER FAIRY TAIL FANFIC: Sin And Sacrifice , Second Chances & Fairies Choice**


	3. Out In The Wilderness

**Divide And Conquer**

**Chapter 3- Out In The Wilderness**

**A/N: It's been a while since I last updated this. Sorry,I had so much stuff going on :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its character and content.**

* * *

"Shhh! Be quiet."Gray warned as they approached the corner.

There were two soldiers guarding the entrance. Natsu scratched his head while looking at Gray.

"Why? What the hell's going on,Gray? I know those guards. One of them is my friend."Natsu asked,worrying about his brother's sanity.

"I said be quiet!"Gray beckoned. He then sighed in frustration

"Okay,we have to knock them out"Gray decided.

"Knock them out? Have you gone mad? They're our men."Natsu was almost yelling. Gray covered Natsu's mouth before he could go on.

"Natsu listen to me and listen well. Old Man Yajima is dead. I don't know who did it or why. In fact I'm not even sure I'm doing the right thing at this moment. I'm already stressed out. Could you please shut the fuck up for the next two minutes and do as I say?"Gray spat.

Natsu didn't respond but he did as Gray said.

"We have to knock them out without being seen. If they see who we are,we're doomed."Gray said as he leaned on the corner.

"How do we do that?"Natsu asked sarcastically.

"I don't know. If would've been a lot easier if they were enemies and we could just kill them with swordplay."Gray said as he rubbed his temples.

"Hmmm..."Natsu started thinking.

"It's too risky. If we do this violently, Jiemma will have the excuse to convince others that we are actually Yajima's accomplices or something like that."Gray thought just as Natsu grabbed something from his bag.

"What are you doing?"Gray asked after seeing the white scarf Natsu pulled out of the bag. He wrapped it around his face to cover it.

"I'll distract them. You go ahead and sneak out with the bags."Natsu handed over his bag to Gray.

"Are you an idiot? They're trained guards with real weapons."Gray pointed out.

"So? I have a weapon as well."Natsu showed the sword hanging from his right.

"That's a Bokken(Wooden Sword). Using a Bokken against actual Katanas is dangerous."Gray objected.

"Come on Gray. Those guards will not leave that door's side unless somebody comes in their way. And If I cover my face while I distract them they won't realize who I am in this dark."Natsu replied.

"Well,you have a point. I guess we can knock them out while covering our faces."Gray proposed.

"No,that's too risky. What if we fail? What if we take too long? More guards will come and we'll most likely get caught. I'll just distract them until you slip by the door then I will ditch them and join you."Natsu was too reasonable to discuss this further. Gray just nodded and accepted.

"Okay,be quick. I'll ran to the stables and take two horses. I'll meet you at the west gate."Gray said.

"Okay,but Gray...If I'm not there by the time you get there,leave without me."Natsu said and left before Gray could respond.

* * *

"Shut up! I really thought she said that."The blonde guard said,annoyed.

"Seriously,you're always like that Max."The other guard replied while laughing.

"Droy,you ba-"Max stopped as he heard a footstep. The room was dark,except the small torch that Droy was holding. So they couldn't see anything. They heard running footsteps that was starting to head towards another direction. The two guards started running after the sound.

They chased the footsteps for a while until it slowed down and stopped.

Then they heard it again,but now it was getting closer to them.

"Who's there?!"Max yelled before he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

More and more footsteps were heard. Until they stopped and a silhouette appeared in front of them.

"Who the hell are you?"Droy asked before he drew his sword. The mysterious man approached.

"You have three seconds to tell us who you are."Max warned him.

They received no response.

"Suit yourself."Max said and leaped towards the unknown men and slashed towards him. His target dodged back and caused Max to slash empty air. Droy prepared himself as well.

The unknown men took a step back and pulled out a short wooden sword. Droy hanged the torch on his hand to a nearby wall.

"HERE WE GO!"Droy yelled before he tried to stab his target with full force. But his target parried his sword to the right with his wooden sword and Droy crashed head-first to a wall. He fell to his knees as his nose started bleeding

"_What the hell was that?"_Max thought,surprised. This stranger was good with a weapon.

He slowly adjusted himself to his opponents height. He waited for his opponent to make the first move. But his opponent was as calm as he was.

_"I need to test him first."_Max decided and he clinked his sword to his opponents for a few times before he seriously slashed towards his head.

But his opponent quickly ducked his head and Max slashed the air again.

_"He moves fast and he's agile."_Max thought,impressed with his opponent. He slashed towards him vertically this time but this time his sword was blocked.

Max clashed his sword against the intruders for a few more times before he took a step back.

"_The way he fights...That's royal sword-play. This guy has high military training."_Max decided. He was shocked to see a third sword come in to his view.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" Droy yelled before he slashed to severe the intruders head. He thought he had him,but Max knew better.

"_You're too slow for him,you fat idiot."_

"STOP!DROY!" Max yelled and leaped towards them. The intruder made a smirking voice before Droy attacked him.

He quickly dodged the sword by spinning around Droy in an instant. Droy's sword crashed to the ground and his opponent prepared to hit him in the back of the head.

But Max approached in a moment before he blocked the stranger's blow. But he failed to realize that the stranger's left hand,which was grabbing the wooden torch that was hanged to the wall by Droy.

_"Damn it!"_Max thought before the flaming torch crashed to the back of his helmet. This stunned him for a moment,giving his opponent the chance to knee him in the stomach.

"DAMN YOU!"Droy moved to punch the intruder but his assault was quickly evaded by his opponent who took a fast step to the left.

Droy was too slow to realize the fierce uppercut coming towards his jaw,which knocked him out.

With both his opponents out of the way,the intruder headed towards the front entrance.

"WAIT!"The injured Max stood up and looked at the intruder.

" Who are you?"Max asked,before he grabbed his sword once again. The intruder didn't reply.

Max ran towards his opponent before he slashed a couple of times. But he was exhausted and barely standing at this point.

His opponent easily dodged his blows and punched Max in the stomach for a final time before he could realize it.

Max gasped in pain before he dropped to his knees.

But there was something that the intruder failed to realize as well. Max was holding onto the white scarf wrapped around his head. He pulled it along as he dropped to his knees,just enough to reveal his opponents hair.

_"Pink?"_Max thought as his vision became blurry.

"Y-Your Highness?"Max asked with a soft voice. His opponent was too confused to respond.

"Natsu?"Max asked his old friend.

Natsu made a "Shhh" before he punched Max one more time,this time effectively knocking him out. He gently placed Max next to Droy.

He started running towards the gate with haste. He wrapped the scarf around his head once again.

He pushed open the gate and ran towards the west gate. He passed stone houses,which were populated by the families of the court. He slowed down after he saw two guards patrolling. He turned around and decided to took the longer path.

He used the old road,which was used by farmers who were walking their herds or cattles. It took five minutes for him to reach to west gate.

But he found no one there.

"Damn it!"Natsu couldn't see Gray anywhere.

"Over here,dummy."A voice from the back called. Gray was on top of a horse and was holding another empty one.

Natsu ran over and jumped to the saddle.

"We have to hurry. Some guards are heading this way."Gray warned and drove his horse towards the gate.

Natsu followed him. But Gray was speeding up

"Wait,slow down! What about the gate?"Natsu asked.

"It's already open!"Gray yelled just as the gate came into their view.

"See?"Gray asked just as the gate started closing.

"Damn!"He yelled just as he heard a whistling sound and something flashed before his eyes and hit the wall next to them.

"Archers! They're shooting at us." Natsu warned and pointed to the soldiers on the city walls.

"Don't mind that now! The gate is closing." Gray kicked the horse to rear up. Natsu did the same.

The gates were almost close and the guards were firing arrows at them.

"Shit! I'm never doing anything you say again,Gray."Natsu yelled as they reached the gate.

.

.

They grazed the almost closed gate and got out just in time before they were crushed by the gate.

"PHEWW!WE MADE IT!" Natsu yelled in excitement before another whistling sound came and a "Thud" was heard.

.

.

"AHHHHH!"Natsu yelled in pain before he fell from his horse.

"NATSUUU!" Gray rushed over to his brothers side as Natsu's horse ran away in fear.

"Damn it!"Gray grabbed Natsu and pulled him up to the horse. He rode in hurry because the guards were still shooting at them.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry guys,I had to cut this chapter a little short to avoid any confusions. Normally,Lucy was going to appear but I decided to make her debut a whole chapter so wait for the next chapter guys!**

_**NEXT TIME ON DIVIDE&CONQUER,Chapter 4: Pickpocket Of The Whitebarrow Village**_

_************__**SUPPORT MY OTHER FAIRY TAIL FANFIC: Sin And Sacrifice , Second Chances & Fairies Choice**_  



End file.
